welcome back to "morning joe." time to talk about what we learned today. what did we learn about, mr. curtains? >> i learned that penmanship is not required to be in the cabinet. >> yes. that's right. yeah. i'll tell you what. that $1 million in federal tax dollars for obama -- you can get past having -- >> loop de loop. >> i want to be a better writer as i need to be. i need to keep an angry man -- i think that's what it was -- an angry man in my closet with a hammer. >> checkoff said there must be an angry man in the closet holding a hammer. >> i've got to find one. >> it was tuesday, i believe, we were talking about great playwrights of late. >> good guy. >> 19th century. >> i didn't get the beard, but -- >> i know. >> pretty good guy. >> i learned there is no end to your maganonymity. you finished second --

>> i finished the same year of the masters in '86. i caddied. i know, this guy had this chart. i'm going to wear my green jacket monday. >> all right. if it's way too early, what time is it, mike? >> way too early, time for "morning joe." but right now, it's time for chuck todd. take it away. >> have a great weekend, everybody. thank you for watching. so vice president biden's task force is getting ready to wrap things up. how forceful are they on an assault weapons ban, as the bp preps for the tuesday report to the president? we'll talk to a new congresswoman who represents newtown, connecticut to hear what she thinks will happen. cloak room maneuver. being a former senator doesn't mean chuck hagel knows all the folks in the upper chamber. two out of five weren't even there when he was. will his meet and greet help ward off the threat of defeat for his nomination to run the pentagon? and three is a magic number.

it' it's the "the daily rundown"'s third anniversary. some surprises along the way. good morning from washington. it's friday, january 11th, 2013. this is "the daily rundown," i'm chuck todd. boy, three years? a different part, huh? let's get to my first reads of the morning. vice president biden will present his recommendations on gun violence to the president tuesday. white house officials say an assault weapons ban will still be an element of whatever final package is proposed, despite reporting to the contrary this morning. and while in a 15-minute statement for cameras yesterday, biden emphasized an emerging consensus around a set of what he called gun safety proposals. he did not mention the assault weapons ban idea once. >> there is a surprising -- so far, a surprising recurrence of suggests that we have universal

background checks. i've never quite heard as much talk about the need to do something about high-capacity magazines. the whole question of the ability of any federal agency doing any research on the issue of gun violence. >> but even those points are likely to face opposition from the nra. research money for studying the impact of guns is a fraction of what it was in the mid '90s and public health scientists have complained, because the gun lobby has choked off funding to parts of the center for disease control that used to study gun-related injuries and deaths. and no surprise, there was little sign the white house and nra found any common ground in yesterday's closed meeting. the white house released this picture, but they didn't characterize the meeting, and refused to respond to the nra. the nra, they put out a pretty combative statement saying this, quote, we were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the

second amendment. on the "today" show this morning, nra president david keen said much of what the white house is considering are, quote, feel-good proposals. >> we have a profound disagreement with this administration. first of all, on what would make a difference. we don't think that a ban on so-called assault weapons, which hasn't worked in the past, is going to work this time. >> do you have the support in congress to block any federal ban on assault weapons in the coming year? >> i do not think there is going to be a ban on so-called assault weapons passed by the congress. >> even as yesterday's white house meeting was occurring, a high school in rural central california was in lockdown after a student opened fire with a shotgun in a science classroom, wounding one student and leaving three others with minor injuries. another school shooting doesn't change the difficult politics of this issue. though biden's meeting came with a photo op. >> as an owner of shotguns, as a guy, i'm no great hunter, mostly skeet shooting for me.

>> both the nra meeting and an evening meeting with the entertainment representatives pictured here were closed. during his movie, "django unchained" quentin tarantino with movies like "pulp fiction" refused to answer the question about the possibility of violent images. >> the vice president is talking to the people in the movie industry today about violence. >> and you know where i stand on it. >> which is that there is no relationship. >> yes. >> but you haven't said why you think there is no relationship. >> it's none of your damn business what i think about that. >> there you go. an arraignment hearing for james holmes, the shooter who killed 12 people and injured dozens more at a movie theatre in aurora, collapsed summer and claimed to be inspired by "batman's" joker is scheduled this morning. biden is holding a meeting with representatives from the video game industry today. the last time president

obama and afghan president ahmad karzai spoke face-to-face was about four months ago via video conference after a week when the white house suggested it's considering a zero option in it afghanistan when it comes to troops post 2014, floating the possibility of withdrawal or bust as a negotiating tactic. we'll be watching what the president and karzai say in public at their press conference this afternoon. karzai, who met yesterday with defense secretary leon panetta at the pentagon with secretary of state hillary clinton, has different expectations. perhaps as many as 15,000 troops staying, which he hinted at in comments yesterday. >> can assure you, mr. secretary, that afghanistan -- with the help that you provide, be able to provide to people and to protect. >> and protect karzai. karzai added, that help is needed, quote, so afghanistan will never again be threatened

by terrorists from across our borders, suggesting he understands the u.s. priorities there. the white house considers plans that range from roughly 3,000 to 9,000 troops. the president has made it very clear, he wants only the force necessary to carry out a very narrow counterterrorism objective and training mission. today the white house will announce new military aid it plans to give the afghan military, including helicopters and other equipment. the pentagon is making budget pressures clear, ordering a freeze on hiring of civilians and taking other steps to cut spending in preparation, by the way, for the possibility of the so-called sequester. >> what the hell is going to happen? the simple fact is that this fiscal uncertainty has become a very serious threat to our national security. >> readiness is what's now in jeopardy. we're on the brink of creating a hollow force. >> those are going to be words you're going to hear a lot in march when the sequester becomes a heated talking point and

debate item in this town. one thing between the president and drawdown he is pushing in afghanistan is the u.s. commander there and the joint chiefs at home. general john allen has submitted a plan which would keep up to 20,000 troops, closer to what karzai wants on the ground post 2014. but yesterday for the first time, chairman of the joint chiefs, martin dempsey, acknowledged that this zero option is in play. >> you know, we've said, i think, from the start, no option is entirely off the table. >> turning to the cabinet shuffle, let's remember the chuck hagel nomination is another way for the president to signal what he wants with afghanistan withdrawal, which is to get out sooner rather than later. president obama went -- when it comes to the cabinet shuffle, while monday and chuck hagel was about getting a tough confirmation fight and having a tough confirmation fight in the upcoming days, he went for more of a sure thing thursday. he called on his chief of staff, jack lew, to fill the slot at

treasury, being vacanted by secretary geithner. lew has gone before the full senate for confirmation more than once in the past four years. he hasn't gotten a no vote yet. and the president doesn't expect one now. >> jack has my complete trust. i know i'm not alone in that. in the words of one former senator, "having lew on your team is the equivalent as a coach the luxury of having somebody in almost any position and knowing he will do well." and i could not agree more. so i hope the senate will confirm him as quickly as possible. >> one thing lew may have to work on, though, if he gets the job, his signature. yes. this string of loops is actually jack lew's signature. and it's not a small thing, considering it would go on all the new dollar bills. that's the first one we would see. and frankly, a lot of currency over the next few years. >> jack assures me that he is going to work to make at least

one letter legible -- [ laughter ] -- in order to debase our currency, should he be confirmed as secretary of the treasury. >> all kidding aside, president obama's second-term cabinet is very much in flux now in dwindling diversity. hil hilda solis is out. homeland security will stay. some others, though are in limbo. there has been no official word of some of them, one way or the other. let's focus on what may be the big confirmation fight. former senator chuck hagel is out there now personally lobbying for support in his bid to become defense secretary. yesterday visited the pentagon and thursday making calls to old senate colleagues. one problem with that. of the senators who will sit in judgment of hagel's confirmation, 42 of them never worked with him. with me now, moderator of "meet the press," david gregory, had an exclusive interview with colin powell there to make the

case for chuck hagel. one thing about taking the step back if you will about this week and what we're seeing with the president in this cabinet. there is no equivocation when it comes to placating the washington establishment. he is doing what he wants, regardless -- there is no gates, no hillary. everything else the first four years was about keeping washington in check. not this time. >> presidents have a way of getting re-elected and deciding how about i do what i want to do. how about i choose who i'm comfortable with. and they have extra confidence that they can do that. and they should be able to do it. and -- >> there is sort of -- you know, it's -- by the way, it's also why they've had this diversity issue a little bit, not thinking about that. >> it doesn't explain why he didn't stand behind susan rice. if that was really his view. he's choosing the fight over hagel, in part i'm sure because he gave up on susan rice. why didn't he do it for her? >> it's possible he never was for susan the way others were. there really was a split in that

white house. >> it looked like it had touched a personal cord with him when she was being criticized. may be separate from whether he wanted her for the job. i think the attitude is what's driving this on hagel. and i think his comfort level, his knowledge that if he's going to deal with defense budget cuts, he wants a republican in there. i'm not sure as andrea mitchell has pointed out that having somebody who seems to have such a difficult relationship with republicans is the best one to lead that fight. >> well, no, it is sort of the idea in what's in practice seemed to be two different things. watching republican reaction here. so jeff sessions, senator from alabama, says he's going to put a hold on jack lew. lindsey graham says he's going to put a hold on john brennan. are they going to have to say guys, you have to pick one. you can't fight them all because the obstruction charge then starts. >> i think the idea of holds is maybe a little bit farfetched.

you know, even those who are sounding pretty tough about chuck hagel indicate they think he'll get confirmed. but they want to ask tough questions. i think it's tough to beat a senator over policy issues. even if the issue is real. i think john brennan is going to face questions about the leak investigation. maybe on the left over some of the, you know, enhanced interrogation issues. you know -- i don't see any of these things bubbling up to the point where you actually get a hold. you know, we'll see. but i don't see that. but i see the hagel nomination certainly being tough. >> and i want to turn to guns here a minute. we're seeing -- it's funny, the white house has a very vehement reaction to the "new york times" story this morning, saying they are just wrong, they are not backing off an assault weapons ban. they are going to make this push. but it does seem as if this week biden was trying to lower expectations, talking about executive action, small bore by nature. you can't to big things by executive action. and the fact that, you know, it's like -- there seem to be -- they're talking about consensus

that may not go big. >> well, and it certainly will go broad. that will deal with mental health, that will deal with, you know, background checks in the largest possible way. i've talked to democratic senators who say we'll probably focus on some areas where we can get bipartisan consensus, rather than go to the tip of the spear on magazines and assault weapons. it's curious to note, back in '94, biden was the one who opened those initially, because he thought it would tank the crime bill. which we -- he, of course, is authoring. >> you get the sense there might be some unease here with biden, because he's really in a weird box. he could be the face of wanting to take guns away, which, of course, he doesn't politically want to be. and he could end up disappointing people on the left. this is really one of these no-win situations. >> i just wonder whether they're going to introduce this, do what they can in a bipartisan way, and then sort of table it and maybe come back to it later. because we haven't seen an indication the president is going to make this the kind of issue that will draw his political capital down on in

this first year. >> especially with what we know with march. david gregory, a busy weekend and this sunday on nbc's "meet the press," an exclusive interview with former general -- you're never a former general -- colin powell, secretary of state, on there to support chuck hagel. thank you. our meet the new congress series continues with the connecticut democrat who upstaged a heavy favorite to win her seat in the house. that's next. she represents newtown, by the way. first, a look at the president's schedule. big news today, by the way, is going to be afghanistan, karzai. and in celebration of "the daily rundown" 's third birthday, take a look at how far we have come this past year. caucus day. a special edition of "the daily rundown" from the polk county convention center in iowa. coming to you from manchester. live from the campus of winthrop university. from orlando, florida. coming to you live from the university of south florida right here in tampa.

outside the supreme court today. traveling with the president here at the g-20. good morning from new york. from tampa, florida. from charlotte on the first official day of the democratic convention. we're here just outside the education nation summit at the new york public library. good morning from littleton, colorado, just outside of denver in the all-important denver suburbs, the swingiest part of this state. from the university of denver, a beautiful campus here. in kentucky, abraham lincoln behind me. here in myanmar. this is "the daily rundown" , i'm chuck todd. woo. ♪

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if you see something you can fix, you need to step up and fix it. to make sure that our manufacturers have a level playing feield, our children, every field in this great state has an opportunity for quality education, that our small businesses have access to credit, to create good, quality jobs right here in america, that our seniors can retire in dignity and respect with the medicare and social security that they've earned and that we are creating good jobs. >> all right let's meet elizabeth esty, one of 98 women elected to the house, the harvard graduate spent several years at a top dc law firm where she wrote supreme court briefs before moving back home to connecticut to work on health care policy. she served one time in the connecticut state house, losing her bid for a second term

following an emotional debate where she opposed the death penalty on the heels of high profile murders in a connecticut town. two years later, won a tough battle in a huge upset against the connecticut house speaker chris donovan. 38 days after she was elected, 20 students and 6 adults were massacred at sandy hook elementary school. and that's in her district. esty says the shooting has refocused her. joining me now, congresswoman, welcome to washington. you're in connecticut this morning. but congratulations on the new job. and let me start out with what you're hearing from what's going on with vice president biden, what the administration is going to propose. what would you like to see from the administration, what would you like to hear from the president when he does his -- when he starts to talk about gun legislation in the next week? >> well, i've been in touch with the vice president. he called me the day after the shooting. i spoke with him again last

friday. and i'm hearing from the president and the vice president a strong commitment to i think our shared values as americans, which is to keep our families and our children safe. and that's the bottom line commitment. so we need to get together, find a way to make that true. >> well, what does that mean? does that mean pushing for an assault weapons ban? >> well, i would like to see, and i've been on record for quite some time about dealing with high-capacity magazines, and closing the gun show loophole and really getting serious about enforcing the laws we have. but, again, i think we need to be focusing on what is it going to take to keep our families safer? and i just don't believe that the second amendment requires that freedom of the second amendment requires that our first graders be able to be executed in their classroom. that just can't be the right balance. >> there's two other proposals floating around, by the way. one has to do with increasing police protection at schools. would you like to see that? >> i have to tell you, as a

mother of three children who was a first grade room parent, i think it is the wrong direction to go to make our schools into prisons. and, you know, if you look at that, i talked with teachers yesterday, every day, who just are horrified at the thought of guns in their classrooms, guns in their schools. so, again, we need to find ways to keep guns out of the hands of people who had misused them, not arm everyone. i think that would be the wrong direction. >> let me ask you about culture. do you think hollywood, video games, they play a role in this? we were playing a clip of an interview from quentin tarantino and he believes his movies do not contribute to a culture of violence at all. >> well, i think there is going to be time and place to really look at an examination around that. i have two teenage boys, i'm certainly well aware of what's out there in video games and what's on the tv and the radio. right now i'll tell you, though, my attention is tightly focused on helping the folks in newtown,

the families, the first responders, pat lodrah, the first selectedwoman, and the teachers. and i think there's going to be time over the months ahead for us to engage in a discussion about a culture of violence. but also very importantly around mental health issues. because that clearly is playing a factor here. >> and i know, since newtown is in your district, this is going to be a huge focus for you, but obviously your first big debates and votes you're talking have to do with fiscal issues taking place, whether it's debt ceiling, whether it's government spending and things like that. are you willing to see cuts in government spending? are you willing to see reforms in medicare and social security that deal with parts of this debt problem the country has? >> well, i'll tell you. i've always been an advocate for responsible spending. i think government needs to be delivering services for people in a cost effective way. and now we have not only an opportunity, but an obligation to do that.

find ways to spend smarter. that's what i stood for in the state legislature, drill down into budgets, find ways to more effectively deliver for people. so that is absolutely what i'm committed to doing. you know, in my position, in addition to working on the task force on gun violence in the house, i'm also on transportation and infrastructure. and science. and those are two great persons to look for how we lay the foundation for economic growth, for jobs in our communities. and that is going to have to be key part of this battle. >> okay. elizabeth esty, democrat from connecticut, new member of congress where newtown is. i know a big focus of your first year is going to be on the gun violence issue. thanks for coming on and welcome to washington. >> thank you so much. and happy anniversary, chuck. >> thank you. very kind of you to say. we'll get a check on wall street next, but first today's trivia question. as we celebrate our third birthday, since 1856, how many people have been either a democratic or republican party,

presidential nominee, three times? and only three times. tweet me the answer at chuck todd at "the daily rundown." first answer. the answer is coming up on "the daily rundown." what are you doing? nothing. are you stealing our daughter's school supplies and taking them to work? no, i was just looking for my stapler and my... this thing. i save money by using fedex ground and buy my own supplies. that's a great idea. i'm going to go... we got clients in today. [ male announcer ] save on ground shipping at fedex office. [ male announcer ] save on ground shipping

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i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. ♪ oh what a relief it is! turning to wall street. first day to absorb the idea of jack lew, the s&p starts today at its highest level in five years. and we're seeing evidence that average investors are getting back into the market. cnbc's becky quick joins me for a market rundown. we don't get to do it every day these days, but we're working on this to get our little dance back together. >> you know, this makes it sweeter when we do get to catch up. >> fair enough. jack lew, what's wall street think? >> you know, jack lew -- there are people who look back and forth at this. and there has been a raging debate on wall street. the instant knee-jerk reaction was that the business leaders, business community, would like to see somebody who would listen

to them, maybe get their points across a little more, maybe be more interested in growth. but overall, people say jack lew has a great resume. he is a very strong player. and he is somebody who has been involved in the budget negotiation talks. and that's something that we need going around. so while they say he may have some weak points, they also expect he will be confirmed. and so people are getting used to that idea. what they're talking about now, who would be the deputy treasury secretary, someone who has a very close finger and the pulse on the financial markets, because they say that's their big concern is we want to see what happens with all these things. we have seen investors coming back into the markets. and chuck, i know it's -- your three-year birthday today, three-year anniversary for -- >> it's 21 -- you know, cable is dog years. >> well, three years is forever. >> exactly. >> but because of that, i wanted to get you a little gift. a little something. >> oh-oh. >> and what good is anniversary if you don't get to talk to -- >> oh, my. who is that? >> your original -- your original work wife. >> how about that? >> savannah. >> oh, ms. guthrie.

>> i don't know what kind of gift it is. thanks, becky. hi, chuck. >> hi, savannah. >> how are you doing? happy anniversary. >> thanks. you're in burbank. >> i'm in had burbank getting ready for the golden globes. things have changed a little since i've left "the daily rundown." >> i was going to say. i'm getting ready for karzai. >> i love the budget negotiations as much as the next guy, but the red carpet is cool too. i wanted to say happy anniversary. we started the show together three years ago. so i'm going to do a little trick here. i'm going to light a match live on television to celebrate. i have a little doughnut with your three -- that you're 3 today. and i got you this card. >> look at that. >> i know. >> it's all virtual. >> it says you're 3. and i scrawled like a 3-year-old these three little butterflies are fluttering their wings to wish a special 3-year-old his favorite birthday things. happy anniversary, chuckles. >> wow, savannah guthrie, very

kind of you. a big deal for you to interrupt your golden globe stuff. >> yes, well, i have to say, chuck, as much as it pains me, i know that the "the daily rundown" has only gotten better every day. it is a great show. and then something that makes me really happy, you and i have remained really good friends. and i adore you. and i am so glad to be part of your special day. >> well, i couldn't have started this without you. and i would like to think that this show has a little bit of responsibility for why things are so much better moving forward at our favorite place or second favorite morning show called the "today" show. >> and you're still doing the soup of the day and that is incredibly important to me. >> it is. and annoys viewers. >> really? >> some hate it, some love it. and some love to hate. and you know what, brook is in my ear saying let's go. apparently this is not good television. >> okay, goodbye. have a good day up next, a deep dive into

the obama administration's rocky relationship with big business and what's ahead in his second term. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] wouldn't it be cool if we took the already great sentra apart and completely reimagined it? ...with best-in-class combined mpg... and more interior room than corolla and civic? ...and a technology suite with bluetooth, navigation and other handy stuff? yeah, that would be cool. introducing the all-new nissan sentra. it's our most innovative sentra ever. nissan. innovation that excites. now get a $169-per-month lease on a 2013 nissan sentra. ♪

developing now, you're looking at some live pictures of transportation secretary ray la hood, holding a news conference about boeing 787, the dreamliner. the faa is announcing a thorough review of the plane's operating system. the examination comes after several recent incidents on boeing's newest and most technologically advanced planes, including a fire and a fuel leak earlier this week. something boeing is going to be very, very nervous about. all right, the political tug of war, between the president and the u.s. chamber of commerce has come to exemplify what you might call this administration's love-hate relationship with big business. and it's our deep dive today, a relationship that will be tested again in the upcoming battle

over spending and the debt and the debt ceiling. today that deep dive into the battle between these two political heavy weights. the seeds of conflict, if you will, were planted early. president obama has been targeting lobbying groups like the chamber since the day he announced his white house run. >> they write the checks, you get stuck with the bill. they get the access while you get to write a letter. they think they own this government, but we're here today to take it back. the time for that kind of politics is over. it is through. >> despite that, the relationship actually started off on a somewhat positive note. the chamber broke with republicans early on in obama's presidency and backed the $787 billion stimulus package. but things went down hill quickly as the two sides clashed over the president's health care and economic agendas. the chamber's number two man, bruce joss ten, blamed the white house for targeting the group

unfairly. >> in fact, they have come out of the white house, trying to neuter the u.s. chamber of commerce or trying to marginalize the u.s. chamber. we're not going to take the bait and engage in a name-calling campaign here back and forth. we're going to stay focused. >> the chamber poured money in attempts to block the president's agenda, spending nearly $3 million a week according to "the washington post," a record for lobbying efforts. nonetheless, president obama passed the health care overhaul and the wall street reform. another $33 million was spent on the 2010 mid terms as the chamber tried to take down congressional democrats. >> sestak voted for a government takeover of health care. he even voted with pelosi for massive new spending. >> unemployment. spending. dead. washington is broken. policies are making it worse. >> does anyone think alexi can create jobs? look at his record of economic

failure. >> 28 years of barbara boxer and america is going broke. >> the results were largely successful for them. the chamber helped elect candidates like marco rubio and kelly in the senate. although big money efforts to unseat some senators, like barbara boxer and michael bennett did fall short. both sides sought to repair relations. tom donahue said he was willing to work, and the president extended an olive branch when he went to the chamber in february of 2011. >> maybe if we had had brought over a fruit cake when i first moved in, we would have gotten off to a better start. but i'm going to make up for it. for all the disagreements, tom, we may have sometimes on issues, i know you love this country. i know you want america to succeed just as badly as i do. >> once again, however, it seemed to be one step forward and one step back. the two sides battled over taxes, spending and the budget throughout 2011 and 2012. the chamber accused the

president of trying to kill jobs and strung jipt letters to make the point. when the white house invited donahue to weigh in on the fiscal cliff, he met with officials and not the president himself. thursday, mr. donahue delivered his annual state of business address and despite all that's happened, he made it clear he's not backing down in 2013. >> and the difficult environment of divided government, we stand ready to work with both parties. but we will not sugar coat or shy away from the disagreements that will inevidentbly arise. >> well, you might be putting the debt ceiling fight at the top of the list of those disagreements. we shall see. he suggested, it's a perfect opportunity to deal with issues left out of the deal on the fiscal cliff. the president of the u.s. chamber of commerce, tom d donohue. let me start with, many business leaders do not want to see the

republicans use this as leverage. where are you on this? >> i believe that fundamentally, if the country does not deal with its debt, that debt that is driven by entitlements, 10,000 people a day retiring, if we don't do it, it will consume all of the nation's income. and we have to find a way to do a big deal. it's there. make it work. where we come on the issue of what should stimulate it, of course we know that sequestration and other issues will require us to work together, when you get down to defaulting on the debt, you have a very, very serious question. what will happen to interest rates, what will happen to our relationships around the world. >> really hurt the economy. >> it could really hurt the economy. on the other hand, if we don't deal with the debt, it won't be very long. 10, 12, 15 years, when -- entitlements will consume all of

our income. so i think we have to let the folks up on the hill use the assets they have while at the same time trying to tell them that using the debt is the least desirable. >> are you believing that elections have consequences? >> you're damn right i am. >> so you participate in elections. so here we have 2012 produced a stronger democratic senate. >> right. >> a re-elected democratic president. and a re-elected republican house. the message then seems to be, not everybody is going to get everything they want. one could look at this and say that boehner has had the harder time getting -- convincing his members they're not going to get everything they want. how are you going to get involved in that? >> first of all, we all know -- you have a lot of experience. the guy that owns the white house owns the bully pulpit and has a lot of leverage. and the first cut on the cliff were serious tax cuts, and

adjustments and elimination and deductions, not really anything on -- not cutting spending, turning down the growth of spending. and i think that boehner has a real tough time, tough time dealing with the white house. and a tough time dealing with his colleagues. you know, it's the people's house. it has been for all of our history, the place where they raise all kinds of hell. and he has got -- you know, bring those people, his caucus, to a reasonable conclusion. i'm very hopeful we'll get there. he'll have 20 of them that you're going to, you know, god bless. >> i was just going to go -- do you make the case that, look, you're going to get maybe only 40% of what you want? you have a third of this trifecta here. maybe at best you're going to get 40 or 50% of what you want. take that as a victory, not as a loss. >> it might be a political victory. and it might be an economic tragedy. we have 23% of the work force

either is underemployed, unemployed, stop looking for work, you have a real challenge in this country. we need economic growth and jobs. we need a major deal on spending, and we need to turn down the -- >> very quickly on jobs. corporate profits are up. a lost corporations have money. why aren't they spending that money on creating jobs? >> well, they have a very serious question, and i hope you'll do a joe on this. the real cliff that's scaring us now is the regulatory cliff. they don't really know how all this obama health care is going to go. they don't know -- you look at dodd/frank, we've only done 25% of the rules. you look at what's coming out of the epa, you look at what's coming out of the labor department. >> so you -- it's regulation that is holding business back from spending. >> i think if i'm running the big company, i'm waiting to see what happens on taxes, i'm waiting to see what happens on spending and i'm waiting to see what happens on the regulatory

circumstances until i decide two fundamental things. am i going to hire more people, am i going to expand, and where am i going to do it? >> all right. tom donohue, head of the u.s. chamber of commerce. always great to have you in. >> great to be here. and by the way, happy anniversary. >> thank you, sir. i appreciate that. we've got developing news about a democrat retiring from the senate. our "the daily rundown" birthday gaggle will be here next. we'll tell you who that democrat is. but first, the white house soup of the day. roasted chicken and vegetable. no birthday candles on that one. don't forget to check us out on facebook, help us celebrate our third birthday by liking us today. apparently that matters to us. we'll be right back. ♪ three coins in the fountain [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior,

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by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. and his new boss told him two things -- cook what you love, and save your money. joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest. he'll start investing early, he'll find some good people to help guide him, and he'll set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. a little breaking news this morning. in politics, long-time west virginia senator and former governor, jay rockefeller will not be seeking another term.

this was something a lot of people had been speculating about. the 75-year-old testimony told the associated press that he will retire in 2014, rather than seek re-election to devote some more time to his family. let's bring in the gaggle, msnbc contributor and former spokeswoman, karen finney, u.s. ambassador to singapore, frank laughin, and politico's lois romano. jay rockefeller was a once a future president of the united states. when he first bought that seat, and he really did at the time -- he spent $10 million on the u.s. senate seat. at the time, that was a -- >> huge. >> chuck, he spent more money on tv ads outside of west virginia than his republican opponent spent inside west virginia. he was buying -- >> washington, d.c. >> 5% gets you that one panhandle county or two counties. >> at most, he was one of those democrats that thought, i'm not going to run in 'the 2 for president. i'll wait until '96, we'll let these little guys like bill

clinton run. >> missed the opportunity. but when they arrived, they arrived with a big bang, would have parties at their house. >> they were going to be a big deal. >> exactly. they were going to make a footprint. >> they were. and there was this thought that the rockefeller -- he was going to be the rockefeller that was going to make it to the white house. karen, i want to shift gears a little bit here, put you a little bit on the spot, or maybe you have a lot to say about it. is the diversity hit on the white house right now fair? >> not yet. not until we see -- i want to see what the full complement looks like. >> but you're hold south judgment. you're not ready to say -- >> initially, disappointing. but if you look at the president's record from the first term, it is excellent. across the board. i also think the white house needs to do a better job of putting out more of those diverse voices and faces because the people are there. we just don't always see them. i do want to see what the full complement looks like when we get to all of the appointments and all of the people resigning. at the same time, you know, look, i also think that there's a bigger picture issue here. this is the kind of thin we

should hold any administration accountable for. just as we should hold our own organization, news media organizations. some people pointed out that i love our own organization for. some people pointed out, i love you chuck, but the front row of white guys asking the question, that's not reflective of diversity as well. >> you're not allowed to ask that question? >> you're allowed to ask the question but let's ask the question of everybody. let's reflect the diversity of our country everywhere and keeping those open. >> frank, you've been involved in second term presidential administrations, what's been interesting, is this just a phenomenon, it's clear president obama sort of not worried about establishment, the first term it was gates, it was hillary and g geithner and other people saying you must have these people. this time the president is confident saying no, these are the people i want and if it causes me a bad photograph or

bad headline in "the new york time times", i don't care. >> sure, but he's still gravitating towards experience and people who have been around. >> he is but as people that will inplemt his agenda. >> absolutely. there's no one in the cabinet now, arguably the new team arguably john kerry who has an independent political identity or stature or constituency. there's no hagel doctrine that he represents. >> team of rivals it is not. >> what he did in the first term was did the team of rivals but if you remember he did the czars. >> he was consolidating power inside the white house. >> he had all of those people running those other people. this time he said, i don't care, i'm going to put the people in i want. and they are the czars, this is a czar administration, i don't need the czars inside. >> do you think the cabinet will have a higher profile or do you think we'll be back -- a lot of cabinet members are like, this has not been the greatest

experience for them. >> i don't think we're going to see a big change in the way cabinet members are used but the way the president thinks about this, this is my foreign policy team, it's important to look at what the whole team looks like, not just the individuals. >> i'm going to take a quick break. this was a fun one. since 1856, how many people have been a democratic or republican party presidential nominee three times and frank lavin three times only? the answer, three, a perfect question for our third birthday. richard nixon and grover cleveland were the only three. only one got to the white house. d focus on your long-term goals, not their short-term agenda. [ woman ] if you have the nerve to believe that cookie cutters should be for cookies, not your investment strategy. if you believe in the sheer brilliance of a simple explanation.

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let's bring back our guests. i apologize for this, we're going to blame savannah for this, but i have to make this

shame less plugs. >> i want to congratulate my daughter kristin from graduating from clom columbia and working for piers morgan. >> is that right? good luck to that. >> shameless plug, export now.com, any company can post online as easily as amazon or ebay in the united states. >> my mom lisa, president of the annapolis opera, trying to raise funds to bring opera to the people of annapolis. >> that's it for this edition of quts the daily rundown. thanks for three great years. we'll see you back here to start year four on monday. coming up next, chris jansing.